Post counts in OT and Gaming Room forums

[terri]

Like many other forums, we are taking the step to limit the number of forums where member posts are counted. As this is a photography forum, first and foremost, we have decided not to count posts in the Off-Topic Forum, and also in the Gaming Room.

We appreciate that some of you enjoy tracking your post count and showing off the number of posts, and as a general rule we are fine with this. However, there can be a midguided assumption that a member with a high post count may be an expert photographer, and thus confusing to new members. In addition, we have members who enjoy these non-photography related forums more than the others, and it is felt their post counts may be better served to reflect that with these controls in place.

We hope you continue to enjoy all of the forums here at TPF. Thanks for your support!

 

[Hertz van Rental]

there can be a midguided assumption that a member with a high post count may be an expert photographer

Is such an assumption always misguided? :lmao:

 

[Overread]

No complaints from me - like you say this is a common policy in many forums not to count off topic and gaming area posts in postcounts.

 

[Helen B]

I think that it is an excellent idea. Will it be retrospective?

Thanks,
Helen

 

[icassell]

Excellent move (and the bulk of my posts are in Gaming)

 

[Arch]

I think that it is an excellent idea. Will it be retrospective?

Thanks,
Helen

We thought it was about time this was implemented, we did think that it may have effected previous posts, but we have already implimented it, and it didn't. So from now on posts in OT and games won't count.
Like anything thats changed, it has its pros and cons but we think it is the best way forward.

 

[Chiller]

Poor newbies.:lmao::lmao::lmao:

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Anyone who thinks it to be a good idea is as obsessed with post count as someone who thinks it a bad idea.
People shouldn't care in any way about post count.
For my part I think the post count should be turned off completely.
To argue that people could be misled into thinking that a high post count = good photographer can only lead to the conclusion that the post count system should go. Otherwise you are saying that you believe people take more notice of the post count than they do of what is written in a post, and I do not think this is the case.
Turning off the post count just in the Off Topic will not stop people spamming the other forums to get their post count up. And this will still result in the situation you claim the Mods are trying to avoid.
Turning the post count off totally means that members will only/can only be judged by what they post. Which is how it should be.
Seems to me that this move has not been properly thought through and is just motivated by politics

 

[Overread]

I tend to consider high post count as indecating a good member -- or rather indecating a member who has been present for some time and also is representative of the population - a bully and mean member would get banned in time on most decent forums - if not its probably a forum I don't want to be in.
Further some people post directly, which can appear insulting - if they have a high post count I tend to look on them as being direct, but not meaning to be insulting (again by virtue of the mod ban)

besdies I only ever see people with a post count past the silly numbers who advocates its removal

 

[Arch]

Hmm not really Hertz... we have thought this through alot.
I agree with you that it could be better to be rid of post counts all together, but we cannot ignore that some people do like to be part of forums for the whole experience of being part of a group and 'collecting' a number of posts.

This may seem odd to you and me, but to deny people that pleasure is unnecessary, especially to someone who doesn't care one way or another.

But please do not take this idea of 'posts means better photogrpher' as the main reason for this change... it is not.. it is simply a (happy) by-product.

One of the main reasons is actually one of the 'problems' you mentioned... making people who want to raise thier post count post more in the other galleries...
Even if it is just a 'nice shot', this equals a faster turnaround of threads making the forum more active and hopefully giving threads that have no comments a better chance of being commented on and bumped.... how can this be a bad thing?
It is certainly better than having (yet another) 'rant here' thread or 'whats your fav film'...

As mentioned we have thought this through carefully and there are certainly more reasons to why this will work as to why it wouldn't.... turning counts off completely is another matter entirely.

 

[Hawaii Five-O]

too bad instead of post counts, we couldn't use an gold star rating system., Like each star represents a certain number of posts. For example out of 5 stars, one start would represent 100 ( but actual post number isn't shown) posts made in appropriate forums. And the stars could change color once you reach 5 stars and every time after that when you've made 500 posts.

noobs could start off with rusted steel or aluminum stars and work up platinum stars haha

 

[terri]

Is such an assumption always misguided? :lmao:

You tell me.

To argue that...

You've been spared most of the conversation, of course. No one's arguing with too much passion one way or the other. Many of us, including TPF's owner, wouldn't mind seeing the post counts turned off completely. It's a simple default to count posts when creating separate forums; we've been too lazy to give it much consideration in the past.

Thanks for your comments, all.

 

[lostprophet]

Personally speaking I thought the post count was turned off to stop the amount of posts being made in OT by new members trying to get their post count up.

OT has been a mess of late, it doesn't have the same feel as it used to have.

There is one way ease the amount of people who join that mainly stay in OT and the games room, hide them from non members like the subscribers forum is hidden from members who haven't subscribed. That way there would be less people joining just to play games.

Speaking of hiding forums, I would like to see the meetup forum hidden from non members, and thinking about it, what about hiding the buy and sell forum? I really believe it makes this forum look bad when people join just to sell something and who would trust someone who joins a forum just to sell something? I always wonder why they are selling here when eBay has millions of members. It just makes me think its a scam.

 

[Battou]

You will get no complaints about the reached conclution from me, however I do not like the idea turning them off completely. As far as OT and gaming no problem, but I would suggest adding "Welcomes and Introductions" to that list as well. Welcomes are an good source of easy posts.

There is one way ease the amount of people who join that mainly stay in OT and the games room, hide them from non members like the subscribers forum is hidden from members who haven't subscribed. That way there would be less people joining just to play games.

Speaking of hiding forums, I would like to see the meetup forum hidden from non members, and thinking about it, what about hiding the buy and sell forum? I really believe it makes this forum look bad when people join just to sell something and who would trust someone who joins a forum just to sell something? I always wonder why they are selling here when eBay has millions of members. It just makes me think its a scam.

Agreed, I suggest hiding the entire "Cafe TPF" and "The Marketplace" subsections from unregistered users.

 

[Josh66]

Many of us, including TPF's owner, wouldn't mind seeing the post counts turned off completely.

But how will we know who's winning?

j/k

Although I'm sure some will fight this to the death, I see no problem with it.
I guess join date would become the new post count, no way to alter your join date.